HONOLULU, HI – PBS Hawai‘i is dedicating its primetime schedule the week of Dec. 4 to documentaries and television specials related to Pearl Harbor. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that catapulted the United States into World War II.

The lineup begins Sunday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 pm with the local broadcast premiere of Remember Pearl Harbor, a nationally distributed public television documentary presented by PBS Hawai‘i, and produced by filmmaker Tim Gray and the World War II Foundation. The film, narrated by actor Tom Selleck, features stories from veterans and citizens who witnessed the attack on the American Pacific Fleet.

The battleship USS Arizona sinks after the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Photo: National Archives

Dec. 4 also marks the local broadcast premiere of Road to Redemption, a documentary from NHK World. Two men from opposite sides of the WWII front line meet decades later – and form a bond.

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, PBS Hawai‘i presents a new episode of its weekly oral history program, Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox. Featured is Jimmy Lee, a local resident who witnessed the attack as a child.

Narrated by actor Tom Selleck, this documentary chronicles the personal stories of veterans and citizens who witnessed the surprise attack by the Japanese on the American Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941. Using archival footage and photos, the documentary shows in detail the bombings on O‘ahu, along with the fiery explosion of the USS Arizona, the sinking of the USS Oklahoma, and the attacks on Hickam Field, as well as on other parts of O‘ahu.

This NHK World documentary tells the story of two men who stood on opposite sides of the front line in World War II. Mitsuo Fuchida was the chief commander of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Jacob DeShazer, a U.S. Army Air Force corporal, dropped incendiary bombs on Nagoya in a revenge raid. After the war, both became devout Christians and embarked on missions in each other’s homeland. They eventually met – and forged a bond.

Jimmy Lee was only 11 years old on December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. Watching the bombs drop from his family’s farm, Jimmy couldn’t begin to imagine how his world would change, or what his simple childhood would become after Hawai‘i declared martial law.

Pearl Harbor – Into the Arizona

Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 8:00 pm (originally aired Nov. 2016)

Join the first expedition to explore the inside of the USS Arizona since the “date that will live in infamy,” as state-of-the-art imaging technology reveals the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Pearl Harbor – USS Oklahoma – The Final Story

Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9:00 pm (originally aired Nov. 2016)

Explore what happened to the USS Oklahoma, the only battleship to capsize during the Pearl Harbor attack. Examine new details about what may have caused the ship to overturn and hear stories from Oklahoma survivors and families of those lost.

Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox – Daniel Martinez

Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 10:30 pm (originally aired Dec. 2014)

As Chief Historian at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Daniel Martinez has heard stories from the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and shares those stories with Park visitors. In this conversation, hear how his connection with that infamous event goes deeper than his role as a historian.

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